Copyright (c) 2001 by Eric S. raymond Chinese version COPYLEFT 2001 by DHGRAND (Nobody / Ginux) English: http://www.tuxedo.org/~esr/faqs/smart-questions.html Thanks to ERIC Patience Guide And agree, this article can be completed and released, this guide English copyright is all, the Chinese version copyright is owned by DHGRAND [NoBody / Ginux]. How to ask for a directory introduction to ask for a careful selection of the forum to use the mailing list with the message, the syntax is correct, spelling no misunderstanding is rich in easy-to-read format, the accurate title is exactly description, the amount of information is not more symptoms, do not say Guess the symptoms in the order of symptoms, don't ask for private reply. You want to ask what do you want to ask if you solve the problem. If you want to solve the meaningful question, you will have no harm, and often help the problem, add a short story how to understand the answer RTFM and STFW: Don't worry, don't understand, if you don't have a loser, you don't want to say a loser. If you can say a good question, how bad you can't find the answer ==== Introduction ==== in the hacker world, How can you get a technical issue? This depends on the difficulty of digging out the answer, also depends on the method you ask. This guide is intended to help you improve your skills to get your most wanted answer. First of all, you must understand that hackers only prefer arduous tasks, or can inspire their thinking. If so, do we come back? If you have a good question worthy of we repeatedly chew, we will be grateful to you. A good problem is that incentives, it is a thick gift, which can improve our understanding, and usually expose what we have never realized or thinking. For hackers, "Ask!" Is a strong praise from the heart. Although the hacker has a despise simple problem and unsoliche, sometimes it seems that we have hostile to the newbie, with the poor of knowledge, but it is not that. We don't want to cover some people's contempt - they don't want to think, or don't complete what they should do before you ask. This kind of person will only murder - they are only willing to request, never pay, do not consume our time, and we can use time to use the more interesting questions or more worth answering. We call such a person "loser" (due to historical reasons, we sometimes spell "lusers"). We also know that many people just want to use the software we have written, and there is nothing interest in technical details. For most people, the computer is just a tool, a means of achieving the purpose; they have more important things to do, there is more important life. We understand this, and it is not expected that everyone is interested in the technical problems of our dischat. However, the style of our answer is to resolve such a group of people - they are interested, and willing to actively participate in the problem. This will not change, nor should it change; if we change, we will lose our efficiency. We have a large extent belong to volunteers, with the time from the busy life to solve the answer, and often submerged. So we have ruthlessly filter out some topics, especially those who look like a loser, so that more efficient use of time to answer the victory. If you think that we are too arrogant, let you not be cool, let you wrote, you can think about it. We didn't ask you to succumb to us - in fact, most people in our favorite fair trading, as long as you pay small efforts to meet the minimum requirements, we will welcome you to join our culture. Come.
But let us help those who are unwilling to help themselves. If you can't accept this "discrimination", we recommend that you spend money to find a business company to sign a technical support agreement, don't give help to hackers. If you decide to help us, of course, I don't want to be considered a loser, and I don't want to be a member of the loser. The best way to get a valid answer is to ask questions like winners - smart, self-confidence, and solve problems, just occasionally need to get a little help on specific issues. (Welcome to this guide to make improvements to this guide, please e-mail to esr@thyrsus.com, however, please note that this article is not a general guide to the network etiquette, I usually refuse to adopt the proposal for the technical forum to get useful answers.) (Of course, if you write Chinese, it is best to send it to DHGRAND@hotmail.com ;-) ======== before question ======== By email, news group or chat room Before the problem, check you if you have: 1. Read the manual, try to find an answer yourself. 2. Look in the answer in FAQ (a well-maintained FAQ can include :). 3. Search online (personal recommendation google ~). 4. I am in listening to your friends. When you ask questions, you must first explain what you have before this; this will help to establish your image: You are not a beggar who is inused, do not want to waste others. It can explain what you have learned from these operations. If the questioner can learn something from the answer, we are more happy to answer his questions. Thoughtful thinking, ready for your problem, the question of the grass rate can only get an answer to the grass rate, or you can't get any answers. The more you show your efforts to solve the problem before seeking help, the you can get a substantive help. Be careful, don't ask questions. If your problem is based on the wrong assumption, the ordinary hacker (J. Random Hacker usually uses meaningless literal explanation to reply you, thinking "stupid problems ...", I hope you will answer from the question (and Did you you want to get a lesson. Never think of being qualified to get answers, you don't have this eligibility. After all, you didn't pay any remuneration for this service. You have to go back to "earn" back to an answer, relying on a question of connotation, interesting, thinking incentive effect - a problem with potential contribution to the community, not just passive from others Knowledge - to earn this answer. On the other hand, you are willing to do something in the process of finding the answer, it is a very good start. "Who can give some prompts?", "What is missing in this example?" And "Where should I check?" Compared with the exact process, "is more likely to get a reply. Because you seem to have a correct direction, you have your ability and determination. ======== How to ask ======== ------------ Carefully choose the forum ------------ Carefully choose to ask questions . If you are likely to be described below, you are likely to be ignored or seen as a loser: 1. The forum that is not between the wind horse is posted on your problem 2. Exploring the high-level technical forum posted very primary questions; Violation of 3. In too many different news groups, the crossed hackers usually cut off the problem of the wrong place to protect their communities without being submerged. You won't want your post being cut off this way. In general, the problem is sent to a well-selected public forum, which is easier to get useful answers than the closed small circles.
This phenomenon has a variety of reasons, one of which is the public forum has more potential questions; another reason is to have more listeners in the public forum. The hacker is more willing to make the tried as possible - not a limited one or two - from the answer. ---------------- Try to use the mailing list ---------------- If a project has its own development mailing list, you must send the problem Go to this mailing list instead of a developer, even if you know who can answer your questions. Take a closer look at the project documentation and project homepage, find the message list address of this project, the reason for this is four: 1. Any questions worthy of ask a developer, it is worth mentioning to the entire development group. Conversely, if you think this problem is not worth mentioning in the mailing list, there is no reason to use it to harass any developer. 2. Ask questions on the mailing list to share the developer's workload. A developer (especially when he is the responsible person of the project), you may have no time to answer your questions. 3. Most mailing lists have historical archives, and they can retrieve in the search engine. People can find your questions and answers from it, do not need to ask again in the list again. 4. If a problem is often proposed, developers can improve documents or improved software accordingly to reduce users' confusion. And if the problem is always proposed in private, there will be no one has a whole grasp of this. If you can't find the item list address of the project, you can only see the project maintainer, then write to the maintor. In this case, don't think that the mailing list does not exist. Show in your letter You have tried our best to find the mailing list. In addition, you don't mind transfer this news to others. (Most people think that private letters should be private, even if there is nothing confidential. Allow your news to others, giving the closer a choice to handle your email.) ------------------ ---------------------- Use the words and cut, the grammar is correct, spelling the wrong ------------------- --------- We found out from experience, careful writers are usually a sloppy thinkleman (I dare to make package). The question that answers careless people is not worth it, we would rather consume time elsewhere. Therefore, it is very important to clearly express your problems. If you are troublesome, we will be too lazy to take care of you. Pay attention to the use of your use, do not have to formally formally formally - in fact, the values of hacker culture are not inference. Accurately use slang and humorous language, but don't use it; you must indicate that you are thinking, paying attention. Correct spelling, punctuation and case is important. Don't confuse "ITS" and "IT's" or "Loose" and "Lose". Don't use all uppercase forms, this is considered rude loudly (all don't use your lowercase, because this will bring difficulties to read .alan Cox can use all lowercase, but you can't do it). More general, if your question is written like a half illiteracy, you are likely to be ignored. If you write like a geek (cracking enthusiast) or gray, you will be able to find it yourself, guarantee that you can't get ruthlessly resistant (or the best ending is A big pile of "help"). If you ask questions in using non-nominal forums, you can make a little fault on spelling and grammar - but I can't think about the horse or tiger (right, we can figure out the difference between the two). In addition, unless you know what language you will use, please use English. Hackers in a hurry often skip their problems they don't understand, and English is a working language on the network. You can reduce your problem with English. It is not read.
-------------------------------------- If people create your question, it is difficult to read And understanding, it will be easier to be ignored. So you want: 1. Use plain text messages, don't use HTML (it's not difficult to turn off HTML). 2. You can usually attach the MIME accessory, but must have real content (such as additional source files or patches), not just the file template generated by your mail client (such as a copy of your message). 3. Do not put all the questions in a full segment of non-stop. (This will make the respondents difficult to answer some of the questions, even if you can answer all the questions, I also want to have a clear one :). It is very likely that the recipient can only read the letter on a text display of 80 character widths, so the row surround mode is within 80 characters. 4. Do not use mime quoted-printable encoding in English forum; this encoding format is necessary to speak the language that the ASCII code cannot be expressed, but many mail agents do not support it, at this time, "= 20" The symbols are separated by text, and there is difficult to see and distract. 5. Never expect the hacker to read the file format of the closed ownership, such as the soft Word format. Most hackers respond to this is like a hot-baked pig manure on the ladder on the door (meaning who does not step into your door - translator's note). 6. If you send an email through a computer that installs Windows, close the soft stupid "intelligent reference" function. This will make you free from junk characters in the email. ---------------------------- Use the meaning of use, describe the accurate title -------------- -------------- In the mailing list or newsgroup, the topic title within about 50 words is the golden timing of seizing senior experts. Don't use chatter "help" (let alone "save !!!!!" This is a dissentful words) to waste this opportunity. Don't want to use your pain to touch us, don't use space instead of the description of the problem, even if it is an extremely short description. Stupid question: Help! My lap is not displayed normally! Smart problems: Xfree86 4.1 Lower mouse cursor deformed, FooWare MV1005 display chip. If you ask questions in your reply, remember to modify the content headline, indicating that there is a problem. A problem that looks like "Re: Test" or "Re: new bug" is difficult to attract enough attention. In addition, reference and delete the content of the previous article, leave a clue to the new readers. ------------------ Accurate description, the amount of information is large ---------------- 1. Carefully describe the symptoms. 2. Provide a problem that occurs (machine configuration, operating system, application, and other). 3. Explain how you study and understand this problem before you ask questions. 4. Note What steps you have taken before you ask questions. 5. Russen has recently made hardware, software changes that may have an impact. Try to think about how a hacker will ask you, give him an answer when you ask questions. Simon Tatham wrote an excellent essay called "How to Effective Report Bug". Strongly recommend you to read it. -------- Words are not available -------- You need to provide accurate and effective information. This is not asking you to simply put the ton of error code or data completely dump in your question. If you have a large and complicated test condition, try to cut it as much as possible. There is at least three points everywhere.
First, you have made your efforts to simplify the problem, which allows you to answer the opportunity to increase; second, simplify the problem to increase the opportunity to get useful answers; third, in the process of refining your BUG report, Maybe you can find a problem or make corrections. ------------------ just say symptoms, don't say guess ------------------ telling hackers you think is How can I have no help? (If your inferior is so effective, do you want to help others?), So be sure that you originally tell the symptoms of their questions, don't add your own understanding and presentation. Let hackers diagnose it. Stupid question: I encountered a SIG11 error in the kernel compilation, I suspect that a flying line is on the front line of the motherboard, how should this be the best? Smart problem: I have a set of K6 / 233 systems, the motherboard is FIC-PA2007 (VIA Apollo VP2 chipset), 256MBCORSAIR PC133 SDRAM, which frequently generates SIG11 errors in the kernel compilation, which has this situation after 20 minutes of boot, I never happen within 20 minutes before booting. It is useless to restart, but it will work 20 minutes in one night. All memory has changed, no effect. Typical compilation records in the relevant part .... ------------------ The symptoms are listed in time ------------------ the most helpful thing to find out Clues are often a series of operations before the problem, so your description should include steps, as well as the computer's reaction until the problem is generated. In the case of a command line operation, save an operational record (for example, using a script tool), and reference to the relevant approximately 20 commands will be helpful. If the crash has a diagnostic option (for example with -v to detail mode), try carefully considering the option to add useful debug information in the operational record. If your description is long (more than four paragraphs), the problem will help, followed by the time order. This hacker knows what to find in your instructions. -------------- Don't require private reply -------------- hackers believe that there should be public, transparent processes. As long as any more people have noticed the imperfect or incorrect answer, this initial answer can be corrected and should be corrected. At the same time, by the ability and knowledge, it is noted that everyone is accepted and the answer problem has been rewarded. If you ask the other party to answer you privately, this has destroyed the entire process and also destroyed the reward system. Don't mention this requirement, this is the right of the respondent, which is to choose whether to reply privately - if he chooses this, it is often because he believes that this answer is too obvious or adversely affected, others will not be interested. There is only one limited exception: if you expect to receive a lot of similar answers, you can say: "Send the answer to me, let me summon it." Summate the message list or newsgroups from a lot of repetition post It is very gentleman's wind - but please remember, fulfill your commitment to summarize. -------------- Understand what you want to ask -------------- Nothing margin, a few days of unhappy time black hole. People who can give you useful answers are also the most busy people (they are busy because they must do most of them.). Such people don't have a cold, so they can also say that they have a bad cold about the margin. If you explicitly express what you need to answer (provide suggestions, send a code, check your patch or other), it is most likely to get useful answers.
This will give a maximum of time and energy, which makes it easy to get to help you. To understand the world of experts, to imagine professional skills as abundant resources, while replying is poor resources. Solve your problem, the less time you need, the more you can take an answer from a busy expert port. Therefore, the structure of the optimization problem is minimized, and the experts will have a lot of help - this usual and simplified issues are different. So, ask "I want to know better X, can I give some hints?" I usually ask "Can you explain X?" Better. If your code can't work, ask what is wrong, than you ask others to make much more attention. ------------------------ Don't ask questions to solve your own ------------------- ---- hacker is always good at distinguishing which issues should be solved by yourself; because most of us have solved such problems. Similarly, these problems have to be done by you, you will learn from the middle. You can ask a prompt, but do not request a complete solution. ---------------- Remove meaningless questions ---------------- Don't use meaningless words, such as "someone can help I? "Or" Is there an answer? ". First of all: If you are not very suitable for the description of the problem, this is more painted. Second: Because this question is to draw the snake, the hacker will be tired of you - and usually use logically correct answers to represent their contempt, for example: "Yes, someone can help you" or "no answer". ---------------------------- Humble is not harmful, and often help ------------- --------------- Binbin courtesy, use "please" and "first thank you first." Let everyone know that you spend time obligations to help heart gratitude. To be honest, although this is not like syntax, clear accurate description, avoid private formats, etc. (can not be used to replace them); hackers usually prefer to directly and technical kens reports, rather than Binbin There is a ritual nonsense (if this makes you confused, please remember, the standard we measure a problem value is: it can learn how much). However, if you have a lot of problems, you can't solve it, and the courtesy will increase your opportunity to get useful answers. (We note that since this guide is released, the only serious defective feedback from the Senior Hacker is the first to thank this. Some hackers feel that "thank you", I will not thank anyone. Our suggestions are: all thank you.) ------------------------ Problem After adding a short description --------- --------------- After the problem is resolved, send someone to all the people who have helped you, let them know how the problem is solved, and once again thank them. If the problem has attracted extensive attention in the newsgroup or mailing list, there should be a supplementary instructions there. Supplementation does not have to be long or deep; simple sentence "Hello, it turned out to be a problem! Thank you - Bill" More than anything is stronger. In fact, unless the conclusion is really technical, short and lovely summary is better than a long academic papers. Explain how the problem is solved, but it is not necessary to repeat the process of solving the problem. In addition to representing politeness and feedback, this supplement helps others in the mailing list / newsgroup / forum to search for your full solution to you, which may also be useful to them.
Finally (at least?), This supplement helps all people who have provided help have been satisfied. If you are not a older or hacker, I believe us, this feeling is very important for those tutors or experts you have to help them. The problem will be discouraged; the hackers are eager to see the problem is resolved. Good people have good news, meet their desire, you will taste the sweetness when you post new questions. ============ How to understand the answer ============ ------------------ RTFM and STFW Don't bother me -------------------- There is an ancient and sacred tradition: If you receive the reply of "RTFM (Read The Fucking Manual", answer Those who think you should read the TMD manual. Of course, basically he is right, you should read it. RTFM has a young relative. If the answer is "STFW (SEARCH THE FUCKING Web)", the answer you think you should go to TMD online search. Basically, he is also right, you will go. Usually, answering you one of these two sentences will give you a manual or an URL that contains you need content, and they are reading when they play these words. These replies mean that the answer is considered (1). The information you need is very easy to get; (2). You can search for this information than the filling you can let you learn more. Don't be refreshed for this; in accordance with the criteria of hackers, he did not see the requirements for you, and it is already able to represent your attention to you. You should express our gratitude to his grandmother. ---------- still don't understand ---------- If you don't understand the answer, don't immediately ask the other party to explain. I would like to understand it when you try to solve the problem yourself. If you really need the other party to explain, remember what you have learned. For example, if I answer you: "It seems that ZENTRY is blocked; you should clear it first.", Then: a very bad follow-up question: "What is ZENTRY?" The smart question should be like this: " Oh ~ I have seen helping but only -z and -p two parameters mention ZENTRY and there is no clear explanation: If you want to get information, not to come trouble, don't take a risk to reply, it is best to pick it up from the keyboard. (Some people claim that most hackers have mild symptoms of lonely or social disorder syndrome, and the lack of partial brain tissue structure that helps "common people" in social behavior. This may be true, maybe not. If you are not a hacker So, people we imagine that there is a defective person in the brain, help you face our weird. There is something to say, we don't care; we are happy to live with your own ideas, and always hold a quite doubtful attitude toward medical concept. In the next section, we will talk about another topic; "Rude" that may be encountered when you are in the wrong way. ================ Never like a loser ================ It is possible, you will be subject to the forum in the hacker community. Many public attacks - use the various methods or similar methods mentioned herein, and it is likely to have a wide range of bypass sides to tell you how much you hate you. If the nightmares come true, what you can do is complaining, complaining that you have attacked personal attacks, ask the other side to apologize, scream, breathe, threaten to complain to each other, tell his boss, do not pick up the toilet seat ,Etc., etc. However, you should do this: Go, this is not big. In fact, it is appropriate and beneficial (mainly to be healthy :). The community's norms do not rely on communities, but to actively promote their people to maintain, this maintenance is open, obvious. Don't complain that all criticism should be transferred through private letter, it shouldn't be the same. When others pointed out your words, or when he has different views, he insists that he is shame you are useless. These are the attitude of the loser. There are some hacker forums, for the misunderstanding of highly self-reliability, prohibiting participants from posting the post, and being told "If you don't want to help users, then shut up.", They think that the participant The topic will only make them intoxicated in the meaningless chatter, thereby losing the meaning of the technical forum. Exaggerated "Friendly" (in that way) is also useful help: You choose. Remember: When hackers say you are very annoying, (Whether you use how rude language) warns you don't do that, he is not targeted (1) you, and (2) his community. He can easily ignore you and put you from his sight. If you can't accept your gratitude to him, at least you should show your temperament, don't complain, don't expect just because you are a newcomer, you have a sense of drama, sensitive fragile nerve and self-sealing rights, and are fraudlessly done Treatment. ========== 白 痴 idiot idiots ask ========== The following is a few classic questions, and the hacker thinks in the heart of the refusal: Question: I can Where can I find the X program? Question: My program / configuration / SQL has no problem: my windows has problems, can you help me? Question: I have problems when I installed Linux (or X), can you help me? Question: How can I crack the root account / steal OP privilege / read the email? Question: Where can I find the X program? Answer: Just find it, the idiots - the one of the search engine. Scorpio! Does anyone won't use Google? Question: My program (configuration, SQL declaration) did not answer: This is not a problem, I am not interested in finding your real problem - if I want me to ask you 20 questions to find out - I Have more interesting things to do. When I see this problem, my reaction is usually the following: 1. Do you have anything to add? 2. It's really bad, I hope you can get it. 3. Do you have any birds with me? Question: My windows has problems, can you help me? Answer: Can you, throw away the soft rubbish, change Linux. Question: I have problems when I installed Linux (or X), can you help me? Answer: You can't, I only personally get a problem in your computer. Still go to your local Linux user group to seek your handle guidance (you can find a list of users here). Question: How can I crack the root account / steal OP privilege / read someone else's mail? Answer: I want to do this, indicating that you are a man; if you want to find a hacker to help you, you are an idiot! ============== Good problem, bad problem =============== Finally, I will give some examples to explain how smart questions; the same problem The two questions were put together, one is stupid, the other is wise. Stupid question: Where can I find information about FOONLY FLURBAMATIC? This question is nothing to get the answer "STFW". Smart question: I have searched "Fooly FluBamatic 2600" with Google, but I didn't find useful results. Who knows where to find information on this kind of equipment? This problem has been STFW, it seems that he really encounters trouble. Stupid question: I can't compile the source code I found from the Foo project. How is it so bad? He feels that it is the fault of others. This arrogant guy is smart: Foo project code cannot be compiled by the Nulix 6.2. I have read FAQ, but I didn't mention the questions related to Nulix. This is the record of my compilation process. Is there anything wrong with me? He talked about the environment and also read FAQ, but also indicated the mistake, and he did not push the responsibility of the problem to others, this guy is worth paying attention. Stupid question: I have a problem with my motherboard. Who will help me? Ordinary hackers answer to this type of question is usually: "Okay, have you to take back and change diaper?", Then press the delete key. Smart question: I tried X, Y and Z on the S2464 motherboard, but I didn't work, I tried A, B and C again. Please note that when I try C's strange phenomenon. It is obvious that contraction occurs in the sideband transmission, but the result is unexpected. What is the usual reason that causes a sideband leak on a multiprocessor motherboard? Who has a good idea next to what tests I have to find out? This guy, from another perspective, worth answering him. He showed the ability to solve the problem, not to sit and wait for the answer. In the last question, pay attention to "tell me the answer" and "give me the revelation, point out what I should do what diagnose work" is subtle between subtle and important differences. In fact, the latter problem is derived from a real question on the list of Linux kernels in August 2001. I (ERIC) is the person who made a question. I observed this uninterrupted lock phenomenon on the TYAN S2464 motherboard, which provided important information about solving that problem. Through my question method, I gave you something worthy of playing; I make people easily participate in and attracted. I show yourself with their equivalent ability, inviting them to discuss with me. I told them the detour I have gone to avoid them, this is a respect for the value of others. Later, when I expressed your gratitude to everyone, I appreciated this set of programs (the discussion in the mailing list - Translator's Note) was very good, a Linux kernel mailing list (LKML) member said that the problem is not Since I am "celebrity" in this list, but because I use the right way to ask questions. Our hackers have a guy with rich knowledge but lack of people; I believe he is right, if I ask questions like a beggar, no matter who I am, I will be annoying some people or Ignore them. He suggests that I will write down this matter and give some guidance to the people who write this guide. ================ What should I do if I can't find an answer ================ If still can't get the answer, please don't think we feel Unable to help you. Sometimes I just see your question, I don't know the answer. No response does not mean that you are ignored, although it is difficult to distinguish this difference. In general, a simple repeating post problem is a very bad idea. This will be regarded as meaningless noisy. You can get help through other channels, which are usually more suitable for beginners. There are many online and local user groups, made from fanatics (even if they may have written any software.). Usually people build such groups to help each other and help newers. In addition, you can seek help from many commercial companies, regardless of the company's big or small (Red Hat and Linuxcare are two most common examples). Don't be frustrated for payable to get help! After all, false your car engine cylinder seal is burst - it is probably - you have to send it to the repair shop and pay for maintenance. Even if the software doesn't spend a penny, you can't force technical support to always be free. For popular software, as linux, each developer will have at least 10,000 users. It is impossible to handle help from tens of thousands of users at all.
